Zack MooreDefensive Coordinator/LinebackersMorehead StateWhy did you decide to start a trial?The director of operations at Eastern Kentucky University is a good friend. We went through how EKU uses Teamworks and the benefits they’ve experienced. It was easy to see how we could also benefit from Teamworks, and the ability to do a trial made it an easy sell to our head coach. We started the trial late last winter and used the system for free through the beginning of summer. Once we started using Teamworks, we really couldn’t do without it. Or at least, being in operations, I did not want to do without it. Also, our head coach is all about efficiency. He definitely saw the benefit of us investing.What challenges were you were you facing prior to Teamworks?We struggled to keep track of who was communicating what information, when that information was being sent to the players, and how it was being sent. It took a lot more effort and a lot more time than was needed. We wanted a tool to minimize the number of people who had to be involved in communicating and providing information to the team. Teamworks has definitely enabled us to communicate and share information more efficiently.Would you recommend Teamworks to other programs?Without a doubt and without reservation I would recommend Teamworks to any program on all levels. I have personally coached at the FCS and NAIA levels; the smaller your school and the more limited your staff, the more you need Teamworks. For those of us that have no choice but to multitask, Teamworks gives you freedom. You have more time to coach your position and fulfill football obligations, to go home and spend time with your family. And when you’re home with your family, you have the flexibility to work from your phone or laptop. Teamworks gives you a lot of flexibility, not only in how you can do your job, but where you can do it. For those of us who have to multitask, Teamworks is an incredibly valuable tool.How has your staff responded to using Teamworks?There’s been nothing but positive feedback. It’s been one more thing that has been taken off their plate, and they can concentrate on doing their job. At the same time, the more people who get involved outside of the immediate staff, such as the support staff, the more burden that’s removed from our coaches. Teamworks empowers your people to do their job, and to do it better with a no-excuse environment, because you have access to all the tools you need to get it done, all the time.How has Teamworks helped improve accountability for your athletes?We’ve been able to implement a no-excuses environment. There is no excuse for not getting the reminders and the alerts and not syncing your phone calendar with your calendar on Teamworks. There’s no excuse for the players to not know where they’re supposed to be or have the information we’ve given them access to. Especially when you go on the road with travel – if you lose your lanyard, or don’t have your lanyard with you, you always have your phone – and if the schedule isn’t on their phone, that’s their own fault for not keeping up with their Teamworks password and the information there. We all strive to create responsible, accountable young men, and Teamworks is a good test for that. If you can’t keep up with a phone and a password, you’re going to struggle later in life, that’s for sure.What would you say to other programs that may be on the fence about starting a trial with Teamworks?There’s no risk and no upfront cost. If you don’t at least sign up for the trial, you’re being hard-headed. As coaches, we are all about learning new things and trying to do things better. Coaches do that better than any other profession out there. I’d really be shocked and disappointed if there’s a coaching staff out there that wouldn’t at least give it a try – there’s no risk, so why not? When you are talking about managing one-hundred plus people, be it staff, players, or anyone else, it’s impossible not to see the value.